"Walking a Precarious Edge..." Batrep Nov 6, 2021: Cryx vs Protectorate
We got a wonderful surprise gift from new friends Pat & Fiona from England. It included really nice mats for both rectangle & circle zones (2 of each).
So, we thought this would be a good way to break them in & try a scenario that was new to us. It was the first time we would play a scenario that didn't have any rectangle zones; changing how we would use our jacks throughout the game.
There are 2 circular zones offset slightly from each other with a 2" gap between them. There are also 2 flags each centered from left to right on one of the zones, with each about 4" from the zone it's nearest.
Cryx (me): Wraith Witch Deneghra + Slayer / Ripjaw / Stalker, Darragh Wrathe, Soul Trapper, Necrosurgeon with Stitch Thralls, & a min unit of Mechnithralls with a Skarlock Commander + 2 Brute Thralls.
Protectorate (Donna): Grand Scrutator Severius + Indictor / Revenger / Vigilant, Vassal Mechanik, Reclaimer Gatekeeper, Exemplar Warder Elias Gade, Deliverer Sunburst Crew, & a full unit of Temple Flameguard.
I wanted to try a few things differently this game. For one thing, I benched the Defiler & Hellslinger Phantom; replacing them with Darragh Wrathe. Losing 2 ranged threats really made me reconsider how I wanted to approach the tanks that Donna brings to bear, especially the Indictor & Revenger.
In the last few games, my Mechanithralls did little to nothing; helping out neither offensively or defensively. I get that thematically they're cannon fodder, but they got toasted well before they were of any use in our last few plays. I decided to use them as a mobile wall in this game. Purposely move them up in a staggered line formation, expecting them to take some early hits, but hoping that they'd serve as enough of a front line distraction to allow my heavy hitters (mainly the Slayerm Stalker, & Darragh) to get into the fray unscathed and do some damage.
Donna tends to keep her jacks on a short leash right in front of Severius for the most part. In this game, she caught me off guard a bit by having them spread to the far edges of the formation. This meant I had to really think about what I was going to do with the threat of them possibly coming around to flank the bulk of my forces in the center as the game progressed.
Set-Up & Deployment
Donna won the starting roll & chose to go first.
There was a building to the left between the left zone & the Protectorate deployment line. Across from it between the same zone & the Cryx deployment zone was a rubble pile. Offset between the zones & about 9" apart was a large boulder & a stone wall. Just inside the right zone was a stone tower with a stone wall skirting the edge of the zone near the Protectorate side. A forest was across from that wall close to the Cryx side.
From left to right, Protectorate deployed in a line with Severius in the middle & a unit to each side of him (Sunburst Crew to the left, Flameguard to the right). The outside edges of the formation were capped by his jacks, all well within his 16" control range. The Indictor was on the left with the Mechanik. The Vigilant & Revenger were on the right with the Reclaimer between them & the Flameguard. Elias Gade was to the far-left just behind the building by the far-side flag (Advanced Deployment). Gade named the Ripjaw as his initial "Prey" target.
Cryx deployed spread out with Ripjaw to the far-left by himself. Deneghra was in the center with the Soul Trapper on her right hip. A few inches to her right stood the Slayer along with the Necrosurgeon & Stitch Thralls. Darragh Wrathe was 8" to their right. In a line advaced ahead of the Slayer stood the Skarlock Commander with his Mechanithralls & Brute Thralls, along with the Stalker hiding in the near-side forest (Advanced Deployment).
* The vile Cryxian horde aligned on the battlefield *
Round 1: Gaining ground, but not much more
Protectorate turn 1
The terrain & deployment meant that all of their spells & ranged attacks would be off the table to begin the battle. The distances were either too great or LOS was blocked in most cases.
Issuing the "Shield Wall" order, the Temple Flameguard leader sent his troops towards the zone nearest them. Even with the added 3" of movement, they couldn't quite all get into the zone, but staggered a bit just on the edge, going B2B in pairs. A few of them were behind the stone tower with a couple more behind the stone wall.
Realizing his unit would be out of range no matter what, the Sunburst gunner gave the "Press Forward" order to send his crew running forward. If he couldn't get a shot off this round, he wanted to close as much of the distance as he could to better his odds as the battle progressed.
The Indictor ran up behind the far-side flag. Severius then cast "Defender's Ward" (+2 DEF & +2 ARM) on the Revenger and moved up behind the Flameguard. The Revenger & Vigilant followed up by each running to the right of the stone wall. The Reclaimer & Mechanik ran up behind their allies; the Flameguard & Indictor, respectively.
Lastly, Gade moved up next to the far-side flag.
* Protectorate advancing into position *
Cryx turn 1
Darragh moved up into the forest & cast "Death Ride"; granting +1" movement to friendly undead models in his command range. This covered everyone in the Mechanithrall unit except the left-most Brute Thrall. Using this added movement, the Skarlock Commander sent his unit running forward. Most of them were in a staggered dual-line inside the circle zone in order to block eventual charge lanes against the Slayer & Deneghra. One Brute Thrall & 2 Mechanithralls ran toward the Revenger & Vigilant to block them from charging into the Stalker.
The Slayer ran up to the edge of the zone behind the main Mechanithrall formation. The Stalker ran up behind the thralls to the right. Next, the Ripjaw ran up behind the boulder to get into range & LOS of the Flameguard for Deneghra's spells to come.
The Soul Trapper ran up B2B to the front of the near-side flag while the Necrosurgeon ran her thralls behind the Slayer to give them some protection. Lastly, Deneghra moved up to the front of the wall & channeled "Curse of Shadows" (-2 ARM & cannot make free strikes) onto the Flameguard.
* Deneghra's army establishing dominance in the center *
Round 2: The fire of Menoth rains down
Protectorate turn 2
Severius paid to upkeep "Defender's Ward" and allocated 1 focus to the Vigilant.
At the start of the 2nd round, the Flameguard leader was caught with a decision to make:
1. Charge into the Mechanithralls to get the boosted damage rolls, but having to forfeit the 2 troops who were behind the stone wall.
or
2. Walk into combat with them, giving up the boosted damage rolls, but being able to get all 10 members of the unit in on several combined melee attacks.
Wanting to get everyone involved & prep for the counter-attack, he issued the "Shield Wall" order; sending his entire unit into melee range with the Mechanithralls, going B2B in groups of 2-3 each. The Flameguard leader faced the Skarlock Commander one-on-one. Needing a 7 to hit, he rolled 8. At dice - 1 for damage, he rolled 6 & the 5 damage dealt was just enough to remove the Cryx commander.
The rest of the Flameguard attacked in 3 separate 3-man combined melee attacks, each group attacking a single Mechanithrall. All 3 attacks hit on anything but double 1s. A 6, a 4, & an 8 each hit and at dice +2 for damage, no rolls were needed to destroy the 3 thralls hit.
The Revenger then charged to get into position for a back strike on the right most Mechanithrall. The attack hit & hit hard; destroying another thrall with a fierce blow from the jack's halberd. Unfortunately, the Necrosurgeon was out of position to collect any of the corpses.
For all of the success Severius' army was enjoying, the Vigilant had a miserable activation. He walked up to the nearest Mechanithrall & attempted to throw him. Needing a 5 to hit, he rolled a 4. Spending the last focus he had left, he bought another melee attack. Again, needing a 5, he rolled a 3.
Exemplar Warder Elias Gade took aim at the Ripjaw with both crossbows, determined to regain the momentum of the battle. The first shot did 6 damage to column 5. The 2nd shot was even more devastating, doing 8 damage to column 3, & crippling both his movement and arc node.
* Elias Gade shot true & crippled his prey, the Ripjaw *
Energized by Gade's success, the Deliverer Sunburst Crew moved into position, drawing the Necrosurgeon in their sights. It was a tough shot, needing 8 to hit, but the gunner came through; rolling 9. Missing the opportunity to use "Sacrificial Pawn" (because I forgot), the Necrosurgeon took a direct hit & at dice +4, no damage roll was needed to kill her.
The firestorm from the Protectorate ballista also caught the Slayer, Soul Trapper, & all 3 Stitch Thralls. The Soul Trapper & 2 Stitch Thralls were killed in the blast. The third thrall was unharmed but on fire. The Slayer only took 1 damage to column 5, but was now burning as well.
*The aftermath of the Sunburst's first shot *
Cryx turn 2
Rolling a 1, the fire on the Mechanithrall went out, but the Slayer continued to burn; rolling a 5 when checking to see if it expired. At dice -5, a 9 was rolled; doing 4 damage to column 4. Deneghra then allocated 2 focus each to the Stalker & the Slayer. She also chose to upkeep "Curse of Shadows" on the Flameguard; critical to her eventual goal of charging her army through them to get to Severius.
The Stalker moved forward staying just outside of the Vigilant's melee range. From there, the light warjack used its "Bounding Leap" ability; spending 1 focus to jump behind the Vigilant facing its back arc. Spending another focus to buy a head butt, the Stalker only needed a 3, but rolled double 1s to miss. He then spent his last focus to buy a regular melee attack & did 1 damage to column 6 with its right-arm eviscerator.
The first Brute Thrall then moved to the Vigilant's back arc to attempt a Steam Fist combo strike special attack. The attack hit & did 8 damage to column 5; crippling the jack's right arm.
The last remaining Mechanithrall then moved up to attack a Flameguard to the right, but missed. The other Brute Thrall moved to attack another Flameguard with a Steam Fist combo strike & did just enough to take him out. Needing a 7, she rolled a 7 exactly & the attack was powerful enough that no damage roll was needed.
The most important thing about the Mechanithrall & Brute Thrall's attacks on Flameguard troops to either side was that they cleared the way for the Slayer to move in. Spending a focus, the heavy hell jack sped forward to slam into the center-most Flameguard. Boosting the attack roll, the crushing blow sent the Protectorate warrior flying backwards into 2 others from his unit that were behind him to either side. Because the Slayer gets his Tusks' bonus with slam attack damage, all 3 troops were killed; sending their souls to the Reclaimer nearby. Finally, the Slayer spent his last focus to by a Death Claw melee attack on another Flameguard troop in range. The attack hit & killed him outright.
With his movement crippled, the Ripjaw's original plan to charge into the Flameguard was scrapped. Instead, he walked to get into the Indictor's back arc & spent a focus to boost both the attack & damage rolls. The bone saw hit easily with the boosted roll, but the damage roll wasn't enough to crack the heavy jack's armor.
Darragh then charged into the Revenger with his Necro-Scythe to hit, but was only able to do 2 damage to column 3.
Deneghra closed out the round by moving up to get the edge of the Protectorate line in her sights. She popped her feat & rolled a 2; allowing her to give a total of 4 members of her army Incorporeal for 1 round (d3+3): the Stalker, the Slayer, the right Brute Thrall, & Darragh Wrathe.
She then cast "Venom" with the closest Flameguard as her target; catching another Flameguard & Severius in the 8" corrosive spray. Everyone caught in the spray was hit with both Flameguard troops dying. Severius took 2 damage & was also now suffering from continuous corrosion.
At this point Deneghra realized she was not Incorporeal herself; forgetting to use her "Wraith Walker" ability during the Control Phase. The next round was going to be a tremendous gamble all around.
* The state of the battlefield as round 2 came to a close *
Neither side scored since both armies had unit occupying the right circular zone, neither having a unit in the left circular zone, & the Ripjaw's position behind the Indictor put it just inside of 4" from the flag that Gade was adjacent to.
Cryx 0 - Protectorate 0
Round 3: Help me, Assassination. You're my only hope.
Protectorate turn 3
Severius rolled a 2 for the corrosion on him to expire. Fortunately for Deneghra, most of the Protectorate's magical weapons were too far out of range to the left side of the battlefield. She immediately realized something she could only hope that Severius had not...only time would tell.
Severius moved behind the stone wall to cast "Immolation" on Deneghra. Needing an 8 to hit, he boosted & rolled 9: double 4s & a 1. The crit set Deneghra on fire & the resulting damage roll hit her for 4 damage. He then popped his feat, reducing Deneghra's FOCUS to 5 for the next round & preventing enemies from casting or channeling spells while within his control range.
The Indictor turned to face the Ripjaw at his back. Hitting on anything but double 1s, he rolled a 9. He did 11 damage to column 6, carrying over to fill in column 1, & killing the Cryxian bone jack. Gade named Deneghra as his new prey.
The Sunburst moved into position to fire on Deneghra. The shot missed & deviated, moving towards Severius & catching the closest Brute Thrall & Mechanithrall. The Slayer was also caught in the blast, but protected from being Incorporeal. The blast damage killed the Mechanithrall & did 2 damage to the Brute.
What happened next could arguably be considered to have decided the game in the long run.
Taking advantage of the Slayer being Incorporeal, the 3 remaining Temple Flameguard moved in through him to surround Deneghra for a combined melee attack. Needing 6 to hit, they rolled 4 on double 2s. Adding insult to injury, it was at this point that it was realized that their positioning in the attack blocked the Vigilant and Revenger from being able to move in to attack Deneghra.
* Deneghra swarmed by what's left of the Temple Flameguard *
It was also at this point that Severius realized the swarm that had started to advance on him with the Slayer, Stalker, & Brute Thralls having him in their sights.
Wanting to make the best out of a bad situation, the Vigilant turned to face the closest Brute Thrall & Stalker. The hope was that when they inevitably moved to attack Severius next turn, the Revenger's free strikes would do enough damage to limit their potential, if not shut them both down.
The Revenger then charged the Brute Thrall that wasn't Incorporeal. Darragh chose to take the free strike & hit, but was unable to do any damage. The Revenger's halberd struck true & did 10 damage to kill the Brute in a single blow. More importantly, the charge put the Revenger between the Slayer & the Protectorate warcaster.
Gade & the Mechanik moved up behind the Indictor, as the Reclaimer moved B2B with the far-side flag to score the only point for either side so far.
Cryx 0 - Protectorate 1
Cryx turn 3
Everything hinged on a perfect order of operations & some luck with the dice, but Deneghra saw a potential to end it all here & now. The fires on both Deneghra & the Slayer went out. She paid to upkeep "Curse of Shadows" on the Flameguard, allocated 2 focus each to her 2 remaining jacks, & used "Wraith Walker" to go Incorporeal.
The plan was to * hopefully * hurt the Revenger enough so that he'd be little threat to the Stalker with a free strike when the time came. First, Darragh charged into his back arc to hit easily & do 6 damage to column 1. Next, the Brute Thrall attacked with a Steam Fist combo strike to do 7 damage to column 2. The total of 13 damage was enough to cripple his movement & shield, but unfortunately did not take out his right arm. The hope going into attacking him was that his right arm would be crippled to weaken his halberd's free strike.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained", as they say...with that in mind, the Stalker turned to charge into Severius' back arc. The Revenger gladly took his free strike. It hit & at dice +1 for damage, the Dragonfather's favor shined down, as the damage roll was a pair of 1s & a 3, for a total of only 6 damage to column 3.
The Stalker's charge hit for 10 damage, but Severius spent his last remaining focus to stave off half of it. Taking a melee attack with his other Eviscerator, the Stalker struck for 12 damage to kill the Lawgiver's faithful servant in a devastating blow.
* Severius falls to the Stalker's eviscerator blades *
After Action Report: Final thoughts & lessons learned
* Jason *
1. While the game eventually went my way in the end, I realize that not having the Necrosurgeon or any Stitch Thralls close enough to the Mechanithralls was a horrible idea. My plan was to use the Mechanithralls as a "wall" to keep the Flameguard at bay until the Slayer etc could move in.
The idea was to wipe the Flameguard out between rounds 2 & 3 so that no matter what happened to the Mechanithralls, the Necrosurgeon unit would be able to score the right zone. Things obviously didn't work out that way. I thought they'd be safe behind the Slayer & never saw the shot coming from the Sunburst until it was too late. I'd assumed the Sunburst would harass the Mechanithralls, but didn't consider that she'd avoid that because of the proximity of the Flameguard.
2. It was fun to bring Darragh Wrathe back into my list, but I realize that to really get the best out of him I need to get him more involved vs infantry. The opportunity to charge in to kill at least one of the Flameguard off would open up nice combo opportunities with his Battle Wizard ability.
3. I should have kept the Skarlock Commander back just an inch or so behind his thralls. He would still have been able to keep everyone in formation, while keeping himself out of the Flameguard's 2" reach, & hopefully living beyond the 2nd round.
4. As mentioned above, I kept the Necrosurgeon back in hopes of eventually scoring the right zone, but this put her out of position to grab any corpses. Add the fact that the Sunburt decimated her unit early on & she was pretty much useless to me this game.
5. I did like how it worked out using the Ripjaw & Mechanithralls as a good distraction / wall to the initial onslaught. It's a given that Cryx units are squishy compared to others. So, I figured if some are going to get waxed, let me use them to protect the more valuable assets until they can get into range to do some damage.
* Donna *
1. I don't think I'm using Elias Gade as good as I could. I usually put him on the closest flag & have him shoot at anybody who comes after him. Maybe he scores a few points, but I want to try using him to go out to hunt down important models early in the game.
2. I was so excited to get rid of the Necrosurgeon early on. She's been been a thorn in my side for the last few weeks, because she kept getting corpses & brining more Mechanithralls back. Even if I lost at the end, it felt so good at the time to take her out so early in the game.
3. I should have moved Severius behind the stone tower & channeled spells against Deneghra through the Revenger. I got tunnel vision wanting assassination, but I lost sight of all the models he was closing in on me with. If he went behind the tower, nobody was in range to get to Severius at that point. I could have kept him safe & scored on flag (Reclaimer Gatekeeper) and left zone (run the Deliverer Sunburst Crew in instead of moving to fire on Deneghra). I would have gone up 3-0 on scenario at the end of my turn 3 & maybe even scored enough to win at the end of Jason's turn 3. I'm so used to Jason winning on scenario that I didn't really look very hard at my chances to score points.
4. In round 3, I should have attacked with my Warjacks first. Then, moved Flameguard in after. I circled the Flameguard too close to Deneghra & there wasn't enough room for the Vigilant or Revenger to charge in to her between them. With them being 2" away for their spears to attack, even with the little gap between 2 Flameguard, it kept the Revenger too far back to reach with his halberd.
If I would have moved in with the Warjacks first, they could have maybe got some big hits. The Revenger could probably have got a back strike. Then, there would still be room for the 3 Flameguard to get close enough to hit her too. Maybe he would have got them with free strikes on the way to Deneghra, but if I was going to go that hard for assassination anyway, it would have been worth the risk.
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